An Afternoon of Chess
by ItWasTheVoices
Summary: "What is it you want, pitiful girl? Oh? Well I suppose I have a few minutes to spare. It is such a lovely afternoon for chess." Wilhelm has an 'unexpected' visitor from someone in his past, and attempts to mend old wounds. The best way only a spooky divine sociopath can. Wilhelm fanfic. Contains OC. *Contains spoilers from the fanfic Angels and Bloodties.*


**Howdy Howdy, from ItWasTheVoices. So a friend of mine has been poking fun at my novice writing using video game characters we like. My friend, Rachel, is probably my best critic, especially since I keep using her favorite characters from video games we've played. Anyway, Rachel got me to write another fanfic using Wilhelm as somewhat an OC version. This time I thought I take a crack at writing him in a humor/family drama story. I do not own Xenosaga or the franchise. Hope you enjoy! ;)**

The office held an air of tension among the elegant melody that played quietly from the hidden speakers. A mysterious man with white hair stands beside his desk looking out at the stars in space. His voice was like silk, smooth and elegant as he finally divulged his plans to a somewhat willing audience. His audience being one person, who sat hunched over in her chair stunned.

He shows no hesitance, no emotion as he told the girl everything. From his beginnings on Lost Jerusalem, to his manipulation of the Galaxy Federation and Ormus, he left no details untold to the silent guest. The red-eyed man was impressed with himself on how he could summarize his work, and his life, all in the span of an hour. When you considered how old he was, that was impressive. He looked out at the void of space with an amused smirk, enjoying the quality time they were having. He stood there with his arms folded behind him amused, and waited patiently for her to say something. He waited, and waited, and waited until...well until the silence itself was starting to feel uncomfortable. Even for Wilhelm.

He found it odd she had no retort, given her personality. The brash girl, he quickly learned, had ever the opinion to spew out like a child with Tourettes. But this time no words left her lips, just a dumbstruck expression on the pretty cornflower blonde. Her red eyes stared at the floor overwhelmed, manicured hands grabbing at her short locks, as if she were trying to keep her head from rolling off her dainty neck. Wilhelm after several minutes of silence finally turns around when he picks up the smell of burning popcorn coming from the visitor's chair. He turns around to stare at the incredulous girl, bewildered by her reaction. _'Have I, as Albedo calls it...blown your mind?'_

Wilhelm's shoes click on the floor towards the girl wanting to get a closer look at her, her face frozen into catatonic shock. He waves his hand at her waiting for the girl to snap out of it, even snapping his fingers a few times. His expressionless face raises an eyebrow before he returns to his desk to fetch a spray bottle. He sprays the braindead girl with a couple of sprits, getting her to jump back into reality. She shakes off the water, and scowls at the ancient man.

"Are you alright, Lydia?" He calmly asks from the comfort of his chair.

"...No, not really," She replies with an attitude.

"What seems to be the problem?" Wilhelm's amused face returns when Lydia's personality rears its ugly head.

"It's just...you're giving me A LOT to process at once here. So you're a 6000 year old entity who takes the form of a human, and has for an entire millennium, been controlling EVERY government and religious institution like the Illuminati?!" The incredulous Lydia repeats back what she could paraphrase about the man.

"Hmm, essentially yes. But I've been more involved much longer than you think," He corrected her. Wilhelm scrunches his nose, appearing offended to be compared to the Illuminati. Those guys had nothing on him.

"And not only are you the founder and CEO of Vector, you're also the guy who runs Hymns, the former director of the Federation Executive Committee, and the freaking Space Pope?"

"Ormus Patriarch actually," He continues to correct. "I am beginning to think you were not listening to anything I said," he taps his finger on the desk looking at the chess board. The man moves his knight over to take one of her pawns. He chuckles at her attempts to take the chess board aggressively, given her lack of experience with the game. He must really teach her how to think more strategically next round.

"Oh I was listening. It's just...this has to be the craziest shit I have ever fucking heard!"

"_Stop_ swearing," Wilhelm replied with slight disgust. He didn't quite care for her vulgarity, it wasn't becoming of such a pretty face. Yet she insisted in swearing in almost every sentence. He blamed the heavy metal. I mean, why else would she talk and dress so...ghastly.

"Really? Reallllllyyyyyy, you're going to tell me to stop swearing after telling me all of _this_? I think my use of foul language is small compared to universal domination!" Lydia shakes her head, walking around the room in a circle. She breaks out into a stammer, running her fingers through her hair, and steadies herself with the visitor's chair arms.

"I-I-I don't understand how...why?!" Lydia shouts.

"I suppose to an unsuspecting human, it would all be rather shocking," Wilhelm admitted to the teenager. He continues to stare at the board patiently waiting for the girl to come back and finish her turn.

"But do you hear yourself?" Lydia yells at him. "You act as if I have enthralled myself into madness," Wilhelm chuckled.

"You are LITERALLY trying to turn back time!" Lydia flails her arms shouting, while Wilhelm leans his head on his left hand waiting.

"I fail to see why you are so skeptical, Lydia. In order to save humanity from its destined destruction, we must complete the eternal recurrence by using the will of Mary, her maiden and the key to call forth the Gnosis to-"By using some chick and her jewelry, a scantily clad android, and a little autistic boy to power a giant blue clock?!" Lydia interrupted him to shout. Wilhelm rubs the temples on the sides of his head.

"For the last time, Lydia. Zarathustra is not a 'giant clock'. It is a mechanism created by Yeshua and Mary to stop the destruction of this universe. We are merely using this to cover the eyes of GOD from this world, and to cause the universe to go into an eternal loop. Thereby preventing the destruction of mankind," Wilhelm smiles.

Lydia looked at him flabbergasted as he continued to explain to her the main objective. The man let's out an exasperated sigh, continuing to tap his fingers on the desk. _'I have never been short on patience until I met you, little girl.'_

"Really child, with all the things we have been through this short year, none of what I say should shock you anymore. The plans I have weaved into motion are not as ludicrous as what you have already endured."

He and the adolescent stare each other down with expressions that were polar opposites. Her eyes burned with anger and confusion at her elder's plans, while he returns her gaze with cold apathy. Wagner was the only thing that spoke between their non-verbal dual, Wilhelm having no intention of losing this trivial battle of the wills. He gestures for Lydia to look at the chess board on the desk. "It's your move," He replies moments later.

"What? No! No, we are talking about this shit now!" Lydia protested. Wilhelm started to regret telling the girl anything about the Eternal Recurrence. Poor thing was simply just not ready to hear it.

"Not if you're going to keep swearing like that. Really Lydia, I didn't raise you to speak so ill-mannered." Wilhelm argued.

"You didn't raise me at all!" She pounds her hand on the desk, making a few chess pieces shake from impact.

"Considering I handed your mother a check every month, and let her keep full custody, I think I did my part," he scowled. He looked at the mirror image of himself within her, staring at him with his annoyed face and arms crossed.

"I'm beginning to see her point of view on why you two didn't get along," Lydia mumbled from her seat.

"What was _that_?"

"I said Mom was right about you being an asshole," she replies. The air goes cold around her after saying this. On the surface she could see him stare at her indifferently, but below that, within the subconscious level, Lydia could feel the impact her petty comment had. It formed a shift between their wills, the elder creating a sinister tidal wave of energy surrounding them. Warning her not to cross him twice, her age would not spare her from the consequences of her loose tongue. Wilhelm continued to stare apathetically at her until she grumbles, and then moves another chess piece on the desk. _'Finally, you make your move.'_

He returns his attention to the board to ponder his play. _'I really should go easy on you, but what would I be teaching you if I did that?'_ The man moves his knight after another one of her pawns. The girl ceases her grumbling and takes some old advice from Yeshua by changing the subject. She moves after the knight with her rook, not caring about the chess game anymore.

"In all of this...in all of this mess, what does this make me?" She asks solemnly. Wilhelm looks intently at her from his seat, pushing a bishop forward after losing his knight. He wasn't worried about losing this round, since he had half of her pieces already. "Finding one's purpose is something we all wonder at some point in our lives," he replies to the girl. How fitting it was for Wagner's Elegy to play in the back ground as she continued to talk. A tragic heroine muttering about how she lamented the past, a pitiful creature with nowhere left to run, nowhere to go.

"When I was a child, Mother sheltered me from the world for fear of what others would think of me. Hiding the truth from me, the youngest of countless dead siblings and cousins destined to wield a power most men would covet to have," Lydia sighs and moves another piece on the board to take one pawn.

Wilhelm listens to her monologue with a bored glazed look in his eyes, quietly choosing his next piece to move.

"I have been a fool for letting my curiosity and fears get the better of me. All I wanted was to learn, to understand where I came from, to control these strange abilities that plague me. Never realizing what would come from opening Pandora's Box." Wilhelm moves his chess piece dangerously close to her queen, listening quietly.

"But my desires had led me down this rabbit hole of power hungry demi-gods imposing their wills upon me...the same bastards who forced me to awaken my own power at the cost of my humanity. I feel no better than the pawns you hold in your hands," Lydia angrily moves her queen at Wilhelm's bishop, taking the piece from him. He reminded himself not to let her sob story of grief and resentment affect him.

After all, Wilhelm knew exactly what was happening to the hapless girl... because he was the one causing it. Well, one of several actually.

Lydia, since being discovered, had tried to maintain independence from a clashing party of immortals that existed. The family, all thanks to Yeshua and his comrades, split into fractions since the weakening of the Matriarch this past year. Yet, in some vain attempt to maintain power, he, the Matriarch, the remnants of her minions, and other parties learning of her existence, have been manipulating things from behind the scenes to obtain the symbols of that power. One of said symbols was sitting in front of him, in the middle of her angst ridden monologue...

"I know what you think of me. I will most likely be no different than the countless other humans you have manipulated this whole time. Another puppet in your dark play of tragedy and suspense... I can't help but think I have doomed myself to be used by others to achieve their goals, never acting of my own will."

"Is that why you challenged me to this game?" Wilhelm interrupts. "What did you think would happen when you decided to look for me? Without me or Yeshua, you would have perished like the others. Or perhaps become the more unfortunate tool to a crueler master," he replies referencing the Matriarch.

"This isn't fair, and you know it." Lydia bitterly replied. The two battle among the chess board with Lydia holding her ground. Wilhelm lets out a soft yawn at the tedious game. The man letting the game drag on longer than it should have.

"What is it you hope to achieve, pitiful girl? You waltz in this office in the middle of my work, impulsively challenge me to a game you've never played in your life, and for what? To finally confront me about all the woes in your life, to blame _me_ for your mother's death, to gain freedom from your elders... or perhaps you come here to seek my approval?" Wilhelm snipped. Yeshua would hate him for what he was doing, trying to manipulate her like this. But he could not let the others win her over by strong-arming her. She would be forever a chain to anchor him down to _that woman_ if he did.

"I don't need _your_ approval of my existence," she hissed. "The only reason I am here is because I have no other choice!" Wilhelm just gave her an amused smirk. He could tell she was at least smart enough to realize he coerced her into coming here. The girl pouts in her chair, letting her resentment fester over her father's trickery.

"Plus it's hard to ignore a bunch of dudes with bird masks chasing you around saying bull-crap like, _'accept your destiny'_, and _'quit being such a baby'_." Lydia provided a dramatic impersonation of Albedo and Kevin floating around harassing her. The duo's annoyance lasted for several weeks until she relented in the form of being kidnapped, which stopped her never ending planet hopping to pay 'daddy dearest' a visit.

"There you go with that vulgar language again..." He replies.

"SERIOUSLY?! That blue guy curses all the time!" Lydia argued.

"Well he's not related to me, is he?" Wilhelm replied with clenched teeth.

"Wait? Are-Are we even going to talk about the possibility of what other powers I _do_ have? Like, what if I could resurrect dead people?!" Lydia turns around expecting to see a silent audience, just like last time they argued. Wilhelm closes his eyes and breathes in a few calm breaths in and out, folding his arms gingerly on the desk.

"I only can assume you have that ability, but I hope you never use it." Wilhelm scowls at her over the memory of that one incident.

"Oh, forgive me for saving a puppy," she replied sarcastically.

"You know that was a grave misuse of your powers. One false move among humans could land you on an experiment table," Wilhelm reproves. "You are lucky Guignan Kukai's eye candies are too oblivious to realize what you did."

"We should be _fine_, Alby never developed magical powers or anything." Lydia waves off the criticism with one hand and moves another chess piece on the board. The white haired man keeps his eyes on her with displeasure.

"Your recklessness will certainly be your Achilles."

"Reckless like the man who created me?" she smirks. His eye twitches at her snippy retort.

Wilhelm ends the game with a checkmate on the board, looking at the hapless girl. She stares at him silently. An unspoken agreement becoming more verbal when the next song plays,

"I do not care for your foolish ways, pitiful child. The only reason you seem to be alive, is out of some twisted combination of your value as a pawn, and the innate need I possess to handle my responsibilities."

"Well don't sound too thrilled about me," Lydia glared back.

"I suppose, if anything, your mother would be happier with this arrangement more than the alternative," He stated. "With her desire to protect you, even to the bitter end, I am moved enough to honor her request. You would need to learn to control your powers more, and with that will come time and practice. I'm sure the Testaments would be happy to help you with that."

"What about the others?" Lydia asked curiously.

"I would not be concerned with them for now. Since the Matriarch has been subdued by her other half, and the disarray you and Yeshua have caused among the other parties, you should be fine to rest for at least a few weeks." He takes a moment to look at her appearance again. Her disheveled clothes and her tired face, made him pity the young teen..._despite_ all the trouble she caused him. "Naturally, I will provide you aid so long as you remain loyal to our deal, and follow the rules stated in the agreement. It's just...easier to keep them at bay if we know where you are for longer than five minutes." Wilhelm casually replied.

"...Fine, I get it. I will follow your rules. If this will get those assho-" Lydia stops when Wilhelm's stern eyes glare at her, and quickly rephrases her words. "Sigh...if it will get those people away from me, that's all I care about."

"I'm happy you've accepted the terms to our agreement. Certainly took you awhile to accept the invitation with your six months of running away. But I am glad we worked something out." Wilhelm gives a sly smile to Lydia as she sighs back with relief. Relief now that she didn't have to keep running anymore.

"I appreciate your hospitable offer, sir." The girl replies with a slight nod. Wilhelm turns around to stare out the window as Lydia picked up the chess set to store it away. The girl, while relieved, could not help but think of the strings attached to this alliance she formed with her father.

"So then, what are my first orders?" She asks.

"Oh yes, a good question to ask indeed," He playfully ponders. "Not to worry though, I have one in mind that I have been saving since the Alby incident," Wilhelm smirks from his seat, admitting to himself that he enjoyed this plan a little too much. Lydia's face contorts with apprehension when hearing the displeased tone in his voice. The man waves a hand in the air, creating a blue and purple light. Lydia gasps in confusion as she disappears into a locked room nearby. He could hear her shouting down the end of the hallway, already breaking rule four from their agreement, shouting several obscenities. Wilhelm just sits content in his chair, basking in the calm classical music.

"You're grounded."

**Well that escalated quickly. For anyone interested in reading more of my stuff, I am planning on writing another fanfic in the future after trying to finish my previous story, 'Angels and Bloodties'. I hate leaving things unfinished. Plus who can't get enough of our brooding good guy, chaos! Stay tune for more of my writing assaulting your eye balls. (evil laughter)**


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